Feeling anxious about your pet having surgery is completely normal—you no doubt worry how the procedure will affect your pet, their post-surgical pain, and their recovery time. Our Milford Animal Hospital team is committed to providing the most advanced veterinary care with innovative technology that allows us to better care for your pet. Laser surgery is a cutting edge tool that is a more precise and less invasive alternative to traditional surgical methods, and thus results in better outcomes. Our CO₂ surgical laser, designed especially for soft tissue surgery, increases your pet’s comfort while causing minimal tissue damage during your pet’s surgery, and when treating dermatologic conditions. Learn how the C0₂ laser helps us provide the highest quality care and its many benefits for your pet. 

Laser surgery for pets

Laser surgery has been used for many years in human medicine—especially for dermatologic and cosmetic conditions—as an alternative to traditional surgical procedures, and now is available for pets for a variety of conditions. Unlike traditional veterinary surgery, which requires a veterinary surgeon to make incisions with a scalpel blade, laser surgery allows precise incisions with a surgical laser. The laser beams emit deep-penetrating light to promote a chain of chemical reactions known as photobiostimulation. The laser’s light waves are absorbed by moisture from the skin and other soft tissue, essentially vaporizing the cells and creating a precise incision in the tissue, but causing minimal tissue damage and discomfort. 

How laser surgery works

Laser (i.e., an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) creates light by activating electrons to an excited state, which causes release of photons and formation of a light beam once the electrons move from the excited state to a ground state. Tissues can absorb this light, creating photothermal and photochemical reactions with a therapeutic benefit. 

Benefits of laser surgery for pets

Laser surgery offers many benefits compared with traditional surgical scalpels, including:

  • Extreme precision — The laser enables veterinary surgeons to treat or remove only the targeted soft tissue and to leave the healthy surrounding skin untouched.
  • Less bleeding — The laser seals small blood vessels as they are cut, drastically reducing bleeding. 
  • Less pain — The CO₂ laser beam seals nerve endings and lymphatics, and makes post-operative recovery more comfortable. 
  • Less swelling — Because only light contacts the soft tissue, swelling is usually minimal.
  • Reduced infection risk — Laser surgery is highly sanitary, because the CO₂ laser beam effectively kills bacteria and sterilizes the surgical area.
  • Quicker recovery time — Pets usually have less pain and swelling after laser surgery and recover more quickly.

Procedures performed with laser surgery

Almost any soft-tissue surgery can be performed with the CO₂ laser, plus dermatological laser therapy can treat pets with various skin, nail, and ear conditions. Common laser surgery procedures and treatments include:

  • Spay and neuter procedures
  • Skin tag removal
  • Mass removal
  • Eyelid surgery
  • Declawing
  • Viral papilloma treatment
  • Treatment of precancerous lesions
  • Gingival hyperplasia treatment
  • Treatment of interdigital cysts

Laser surgery safety for pets

As long as a surgical laser is used correctly, laser surgery has minimal safety concerns for a pet. Surgical lasers produce heat and cut tissue, and our skilled veterinary surgeons are careful to operate the laser only when they are ready to make an incision. If we use the laser around sensitive tissues, we protect them with surgical drapes or saline-soaked gauze. A laser beam directed toward a pet’s—or a person’s—eyes can cause irreversible damage, such as cataracts and retinal damage, so pets and staff must wear protective eyewear. The laser produces a small amount of smoke during an operation, but the smoke is quickly suctioned away by our evacuation system before reaching your pet’s airways. Our well-trained team takes every possible measure to minimize tissue damage, pain, and recovery time when performing your pet’s surgery. 

If your pet requires surgery, rest assured that our talented Milford Animal Hospital team will provide high-quality, technologically advanced, and effective surgical methods to ensure your pet’s safety, comfort, and health. If you would like to discuss how laser surgery can benefit your pet, contact our veterinary team.